Royal Belgian Football Association
Belgium's national football federation; lost its FIFA appeal over Folarin Balogun's World Cup reinstatement.
Last refreshed: 7 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why did FIFA dismiss Belgium's appeal against Folarin Balogun's World Cup reinstatement?
Timeline for Royal Belgian Football Association
Mentioned in: FIFA throws out Belgium's Balogun appeal
2026 FIFA World CupWhat is the Royal Belgian Football Association?
Why did Belgium appeal Folarin Balogun's World Cup reinstatement?
Did UEFA support Belgium's appeal against Balogun's reinstatement?
Background
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) is Belgium's national football governing body, founded in 1895 and a founding member of both FIFA (1904) and UEFA (1954). Headquartered in Tubize since 2021, it organises the men's, women's, and youth national teams, most prominently the senior side known as the Red Devils.
The RBFA contested Folarin Balogun's reinstatement to the United States squad after a red card, arguing the decision breached tournament disciplinary rules. FIFA's Appeal Committee ruled the federation's appeal 'inadmissible' on 7 July 2026, a rejection UEFA publicly called 'incomprehensible' in its first intervention on the case. The dispute has since widened beyond football governance: human rights group FairSquare cited the reversal in an expanded ethics complaint against FIFA president Gianni Infantino, backed by 50 members of the European Parliament, following reports that Donald Trump had asked Infantino to review the ruling.
